Systems and methods for selectively activating virtual guide geometries

Abstract

A method for operating a surgical robot includes providing a plurality of virtual haptic geometries associated with different steps of a surgical procedure, evaluating a plurality of criteria associated with a first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries, activating the first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries without activating a second virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries in response to satisfaction of the plurality of criteria, and controlling the surgical robot to constrain movement of an end effector of the surgical robot to the first virtual haptic geometry in response to activating the first virtual haptic geometry.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for operating a surgical robot, comprising:
 providing a plurality of virtual haptic geometries associated with different steps of a surgical procedure; 
 evaluating a plurality of criteria associated with a first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries; 
 in response to satisfaction of the plurality of criteria, activating the first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries without activating a second virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries; 
 controlling the surgical robot to constrain movement of an end effector of the surgical robot to the first virtual haptic geometry in response to activating the first virtual haptic geometry; and 
 preventing reactivation of the first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries in response to completion of a first step of the surgical procedure associated with the first virtual haptic geometry. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein evaluating the plurality of criteria comprises determining a position of the end effector relative to the first virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein evaluating the plurality of criteria comprises determining whether the position of the end effector is both within the first virtual haptic geometry and within a threshold engagement volume associated with the first virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising evaluating a first criterion of the plurality of criteria by determining whether the position of the end effector is within a threshold distance of a target axis of the first virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising preventing the activation of the first virtual haptic geometry when one or more of the plurality of criteria is unsatisfied. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the plurality of virtual haptic geometries comprises determining a plurality of target points in a surgical environment and associating the plurality of virtual haptic geometries with the plurality of target points. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the plurality of virtual haptic geometries comprises configuring the plurality of virtual haptic geometries to have different shapes. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising reducing a volume of the first virtual haptic geometry in response to a surgeon movement. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein reducing the volume of the first virtual haptic geometry comprises collapsing a funnel shape of the first virtual haptic geometry such that the end effector is rotatable only towards alignment with a target axis of the first virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first virtual haptic geometry defines a virtual pathway to guide the end effector into a planned alignment relative to an anatomical structure to be modified in the surgical procedure. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein controlling the surgical robot to constrain movement of the end effector of the surgical robot to the first virtual haptic geometry comprises allowing the end effector to pass through an opening of the first virtual haptic geometry to disengage from the first virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein evaluating the plurality of criteria associated with the first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries is performed responsive to determining that a first target point associated with the first virtual haptic geometry is closer to the end effector than a second target point associated with the second virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       13. A system, comprising:
 a surgical robot comprising an end effector; 
 a processor, and 
 one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 providing a plurality of virtual haptic geometries associated with different steps of a surgical procedure; 
 evaluating a plurality of criteria associated with a first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries; 
 in response to satisfaction of the plurality of criteria, activating the first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries without activating a second virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries; 
 controlling the surgical robot to constrain movement of the end effector of the surgical robot to the first virtual haptic geometry in response to activating the first virtual haptic geometry; and 
 preventing reactivation of the first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries in response to completion of a first step of the surgical procedure associated with the first virtual haptic geometry. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 13 , wherein evaluating the plurality of criteria comprises determining a position of the end effector relative to the first virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein evaluating the plurality of criteria comprises determining whether the position of the end effector is both within the first virtual haptic geometry and within a threshold engagement volume associated with the first virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise reducing a volume of the first virtual haptic geometry in response to a surgeon movement. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 16 , wherein reducing the volume of the first virtual haptic geometry comprises collapsing a funnel shape of the first virtual haptic geometry such that the end effector is rotatable only towards alignment with a target axis of the first virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 13 , wherein evaluating the plurality of criteria associated with the first virtual haptic geometry of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries is performed responsive to determining that a first target point associated with the first virtual haptic geometry is closer to the end effector than a second target point associated with the second virtual haptic geometry. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 13 , wherein controlling the surgical robot to constrain movement of the end effector of the surgical robot to the first virtual haptic geometry comprises allowing the end effector to pass through an opening of the first virtual haptic geometry to disengage from the first virtual haptic geometry.